Will GTA IV Come to the PC?

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We discuss the possibilities.

By Jason Ocampo, Steve Butts, Charles Onyett

Gentlemen, I don't know about you, but I've realized that the rest of the office seems to be suffering from GTA Fever. The Xbox and PlayStation guys are coming in late and leaving early. There are dark circles beneath their eyes, like they're not getting any sleep. And when they are at their desks, there's this nonstop chatter about popping fools and jacking cars. I must admit that we, the PC team, are not immune. Charles and I did buy Xbox 360 copies on Tuesday, though I have not jumped in quite yet.

So there are a few questions I'd like to pose to you. Some of these are questions that our readers have asked, as well. Firstly, do you think the PC will get Grand Theft Auto IV, and if so, when? Also, what would you like to see in a PC version that is unique to the platform?

Here's some background information. Grand Theft Auto began on the PC, but the series didn't really explode until Grand Theft Auto III, which introduced a new 3D engine that brought you into the game rather than give you a top-down, bird's-eye view like the previous two games. GTA III shipped on PS2 on October 22, 2001. The PC version was announced on March 25, 2002, and shipped two months later on May 21 and according to NPD, sold more than 400,000 copies.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City launched on PS2 on October 22, 2002. The PC version was revealed on February 14, 2003, and shipped on May 12, 2003 (The Xbox version shipped November 4, 2003 as part of a Double Pack with GTA III). NPD says Vice City sold more than 300,000 copies on PC, a slight decline.

GTA I and II came out for PC. (The screen shows GTA II)

Finally, there's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which shipped for PS2 shipped on October 26, 2004. The PC game was confirmed on September 9, 2004 (before the PS2 game shipped). It came out on June 7, 2005. This was the most infamous entry in the series, as it introduced the "Hot Coffee" scandal, which forced Rockstar to withdraw all copies on the shelves and publish a new version that had the controversial material removed. San Andreas sold almost 250,000 copies on PC. These are NPD numbers for North America.

So now I'll turn it over to you, executive editor Steve Butts and editor Charles Onyett.

--Jason Ocampo

Steve Butts: At the most basic level, there's no way that Take Two or Rockstar are going to pass up the opportunity to extend the economic and critical success the game is enjoying by bringing it to the PC. I'm not sure how much it costs for them to port the title over, but I'm guessing it's far less than they'll make in sales. And while it's true that the console crowds are growing a bit more adult in their tastes (is it right to use the word "mature" when discussing a game about killing cops and prostitutes?), there's definitely a huge group of players on the PC who are hungry for this kind of grown-up experience.

GTA III came out for PC.

Outside of the Rockstar and Take Two offices, I doubt there are many who can even guess at a timeframe for the PC release. Given the past history of the series, I wouldn't be surprised if we had a PC version by the end of year. What's interesting about that is that all the other console premieres have been timed for holiday sales, with the PC version coming out the following spring. With this latest console version coming out in the middle of spring, does that mean we're going to get GTA for PC by Christmas? More importantly, does it suggest that Rockstar held the game back for six months for marketing or development purposes? They said they held it back to polish things up, but it'd be interesting to find out how much of that statement is true. Why do you guys think they changed their release strategy for this one?

Jason Ocampo: I think the delay was due to the fact that this is such a huge and ambitious game and they needed more time. Plus, at this point, it wouldn't matter what month they released in. GTA is one a handful of franchises that the world will revolve around. Halo and whatever Blizzard makes certainly are in that category as well. Though I must admit that I know a lot of reviewers who are thankful that it slipped, because had it shipped in that absolutely insane holiday season last year I think more than a few reviewers would have burned out.

Charles Onyett: I'd be very surprised if GTA IV didn't show up on PC within a year or so. In fact, if Rockstar never brings it over to this platform, I'd be so surprised I might even say something insane, like, "Oh GTA IV isn't coming to PC? That's surprising." But I'd assume most PC gamers want to know if it's coming over to see if they should wait to buy it. Well, it's probably going to be a long wait. I wound up holding out for the PC versions of GTA III and Vice City, but took the plunge on the PS2 version for San Andreas. I put up with the system's inferior graphics and lack of a customizable radio station because, well, I just wanted to play and was getting fed up with waiting. Apparently, my purchase tendencies mirror somewhat the declining PC sales figures with each successive version.

GTA: Vice City came out for PC.

My main reason for preferring to play on the PC is mouse and keyboard support. I'm not a huge fan of GTA IV's lock-on / free aim modes. They work fine for a console aiming scheme, but when I'm sitting there trying to kill four enemies all taking cover behind crates, and trying to manage how much pressure I'm putting on the Xbox 360 controller's left trigger to switch between lock and free aim, I just think about how much easier everything would be on PC.

Then, of course, there are the mods. There's plenty to explore in GTA IV, for sure, but you're going to run out of new content eventually. Since it's such a great gameplay formula, it's nice to know you can always add in new skins or vehicles or maps to keep things interesting.

But that PC fanboyism aside, it's also interesting to see what games Rockstar hasn't brought to the platform. Bully, for instance, which originally debuted on the PS2 in late 2006 and recently released for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, never was announced for PC. Then there's Rockstar's Table Tennis, which came out for the Xbox 360 in May of 2006, then on Wii in October of 2007. Does this indicate the company is now entirely focused on consoles? I hope not.

Of course, Rockstar's Table Tennis isn't exactly what most people think of as a "PC game." It's got twitchy, simplistic gameplay most easily handled with a controller. Now I'm not saying that kind of console-style game doesn't exist on the PC (take the recently released Ninja Reflex, for instance, or Lumines, which works best on Sony's PSP), but I don't think there is as large a contingent of gamers upset over Rockstar's decision to leave Table Tennis on consoles as there would be should GTA IV remain console-exclusive.